Man Arraigned After Undercover Investigation into Human Trafficking in Woburn

WOBURN – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Woburn Chief of Police Robert Ferullo have announced that Kendall Crawley, 46, of Lake Mary, Florida, was arraigned today in Woburn District Court and charged with trafficking of persons for sexual servitude and deriving support from prostitution in connection with an alleged scheme to traffic women for sex through online sites.

Judge Timothy Gailey set bail at $15,000 cash and ordered the defendant to stay away from and have no contact with the victim in this case. The next scheduled hearing in this case is March 13, 2018.

On Friday, January 26, 2018, Woburn Police and police assigned to the Southern Middlesex Regional Drug Task Force initiated a joint investigation into an alleged operation offering sexual conduct for a fee through an online service dating back to December of 2017. As part of this investigation police worked in collaboration with members of the Massachusetts State Police High Risk Victims Unit to conduct an undercover operation, where the defendant allegedly arranged to go to a hotel in Woburn on February 6, 2018 for the purpose of meeting and photographing the undercover trooper, who had posed as a commercial sex worker. The defendant was subsequently arrested in the Woburn hotel room and charged in connection with allegedly recruiting victims for the purpose of trafficking them for sex.

These charges are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The prosecutor assigned to this case is Assistant District Attorney Carrie Spiros. The Victim Witness Advocate is Danielle DeMeo.